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The Kyoto Ordeal
''The Kyoto Ordeal ''(2012), by J.G. Taschereau, is a young adult and fantasy novel and the first book of the Tales of the Other Universe trilogy. __TOC__ Synopsis After spending two weeks preparing spiritually and mentally, Adam Evans and Dee Gatti walk through the lower levels of Magid Palace to a room where Adam conducts a ritual to remove the excessive anger that has built up inside him. After a horrifying display, Adam appears to be free of the anger and joins Dee and The Creator Most High at the Winter Solstice gala happening upstairs. During the gala, the Creator announces Adam's accomplishment and Adam expresses his desire to be a better king for his people. Upon returning to his room that evening, Adam discovers that his anger has escaped and taken a form identical to his own. His doppelganger rebukes him for discarding him and announces that he will leave the Other Universe for reasons he leaves ambiguous. Realizing that he has set a monster loose on the world, Adam leaves a note behind saying that he will abdicate the throne in order to face the problem. Dee is devastated to learn he is gone, and the Creator realizes what has happened and begins organizing an effort to bring Adam back. Two days later, Mathias Silvos (going by the alias Mathias Albright) and New Baggins arrive at Magid Palace. The Creator briefs them on the situation and requests that they go with him to bring Adam back. Dee requests to go as well, and the Creator reluctantly agrees. He takes the four of them to Tokyo, Japan on Earth, where Adam crossed over after leaving the Other Universe. The group begins their search but is soon attacked by an assassin, only to be saved by New Baggins. That evening, in the absence of New Baggins, the Creator explains that New Baggins is in fact the same man from the legendary War of The Baggins , which was supposedly just a myth. The next day the Creator is captured and almost killed by the same assassin, Sgt.Jeffery Rogers, who mistakes the Creator for Adam. The Creator is saved by New Baggins again and the assassin is shot by one of his comrades, Friedrich Gien, to keep him quiet. Gien escapes and the group is stunned that blood has already been shed, deciding that it is imperative to find Adam as soon as possible. Gien reports the events to the doppelganger, going by the name Mr. Black. The doppelganger tells Gien that it is the Creator he has been following, not Adam, and that Adam would have left Tokyo to go to where he was staying, Kyoto. Adam arrives in Kyoto in search of his doppelganger and the group of men that followed him to help him acheive his goal. There he meets a stranger who mistakes him for the Creator and takes him into his home. The man introduces himself as Master M, and after learning who Adam is teaches Adam about the elemental powers of Magid that lay dormant inside of him. Master M, a swordsman who fought in Magid, has a fraction of each element power at his disposal, and agrees to help Adam learn to use his powers to combat his enemy. After days of training on a vacant mountain, Master M realizes that some of the element powers were transferred to the doppelganger when he split from Adam. Seeing the need to hasten his training, Master M leaves Adam to concentrate on mastering the powers he has during the night and plans to return to test Adam for the last time in the morning. Meanwhile in Tokyo, the Creator's group learns that the doppelganger and his men planned to go to Kyoto and that Adam likely followed them there. They plan to travel to Kyoto on the bullet train the following morning. The next day, Master M returns to the mountain and is ambushed by Adam, who intends to defeat his teacher in a battle of the elements. Using a combination of the elements to trap Master M, Adam defeats him with his sword's sheath. In recognition, Master M bestows upon Adam the Sword of Magid which he had been keeping safe. In the trees, Souji Okita had been watching the fight and realized Adam was a threat. He informs his superior, Mr. White, that Adam is in Kyoto and is ordered to intercept the Creator's group after they arrive. In Tokyo, the Creator and the others board the bullet train and travel to Kyoto, being watched by Gien and Osami Hyogo. While walking through the train, Mathias finds Hyogo unable to pay for his meal and covers the cost. This makes Hyogo reconsider targeting the group, but Gien orders him to carry out the plan or Hyogo would end up dying as well. (Gien implies that there is a bomb aboard the train, but this is revealed by be lie meant to motivate Hyogo.) Hyogo holds a stewardess hostage and demands that the Creator's group surrender to him. Dee reveals herself as a mage, saves the stewardess, and disables Hyogo. Hyogo reveals that his arm is made of living metal that can change into different weapons. He shapes it into a gattling gun and blasts a hole in the roof of the train to escape. The Creator's group pursues him and Dee is almost killed by him before Mathias shoots him twice, causing him to fall free the speeding train. In Kyoto the group escapes from the train in secret as it is boarded by police. Dee tries to comfort a sullen Mathias while the Creator places a phone call to Ayumi. Okita appears and attempts to kill the Creator with a katana, only to be interrupted by Adam, who had followed him from the mountains. New Baggins arrives and Okita realizes that all is lost, begging for his opponents to kill him quickly. New Baggins questions his unshakable faith to his superiors, causing Okita to lose composure. He is left paralyzed by New Baggins while the others escape. Adam is furious with the Creator for coming after him, but after Dee tearfully reunites with him Adam is unable to refuse the group's help. Okita is arrested and receives no help from Mr. White, who has arrived in Kyoto with his bodyguard, Spartacus. They go off in search of the doppleganger's base of operations. After eating lunch, Adam and the Creator's group go to Ayumi's house in search of a place to stay. She believes the Creator to be an old friend named Daniel and that they are in town on business and allows them to stay. Elsewhere, Mr. White confronts Adam's doppelganger about chasing Adam and not completing the mission he had been tasked with by Mr. White's group. He also discloses information about New Baggins for the doppelganger to use to his advantage now that his team has been cut down. At dusk, New Baggins leaves his group and finds a secluded street where he is transformed into The Baggins by the dark of night. The Baggins is attacked by Viktor Serbanescu, but subdues him in a mental illusion. Serbanescu is killed by the doppelganger, who tries to persuade The Baggins to join him. When he refuses, the doppelganger attacks and wounds The Baggins. Before killing him, Adam arrives to confront his other half. Adam returns to Ayumi's house with an unconscious The Baggins, shocking everyone. The Creator is forced to reveal the truth of their identities to Ayumi and why they are really in Kyoto. Adam secludes himself in his room, and explains to the Creator how the doppelganger called for the two of them to settle their issues in a week's time so that Adam could "make himself a worthy opponent" once again, and demands not to attack earlier on the honor of Adam's fallen mentor. Adam tells the Creator he intends to honor this agreement and that he wants to do it alone. The Creator berates Adam for thinking only of the consequences of himself and not of the others, leaving Adam to contemplate the scope of the ordeal. The next morning, Dee finds Adam sleeping and uses magic to see into his dreams. She sees a memory of him killing Seb Ommati, which awakens him and causes him to attack and threaten her. Ayumi gets to know New Baggins and wonders how he could be paired with someone like The Baggins, learning that it was the Creator who was responsible for making them what they are. Mathias reaches out to Adam to discuss strategy about the upcoming battle, going with him away from Ayumi's house to the mountain where Adam trained. While there, Mathias attempts to kill Adam by shooting him in the head. The assassination attempt fails and Adam traps Mathias is a rock tomb. When questioned about his actions, Mathias reveals he has been acting as an agent of justice for those who could not get it themselves, including Adam's countless victims. He recounts the teachings of his father, King Richard of Leapador, whom Adam knew. Adam explains the truth behind Richard's philosophies, which calls Mathias' whole life's attitude into question. He is wracked with guilt and Adam takes him home. Adam awakens the next day to find New Baggins and the Creator missing, while Dee sits alone by the window in the living room. Ayumi explains that there was an attack in the city that is being called a terrorist bombing, but was really the result of a confrontation between New Baggins and Gien that resulted in The Baggins gaining permanant control of his body. The Baggins leaves a note for the Creator declaring war against him, and the Creator left without giving word of where he was going. When Adam defends the Creator's actions as necessary, Ayumi berates him for acting cowardly, both in running from his responsibilities and avoiding Dee following the incident that occured between them. The Creator travels to Seattle to find Cody Moon, the only other person with experience fighting The Baggins. He is reunited with Moon Fox, now going by Melody, and Cody, who shows no interest in helping the Creator. Instead, Cody tries to show the Creator the dangers of war. The Creator reveals that The Baggins is still alive and on Earth, causing Cody to strike him and tell the Creator to leave and deal with his own problems. Later, while visiting the grave of Cody's brother Maro, the Creator tells Cody that if The Baggins is left unchecked then the same devestation that happened on Carvon would happen on Earth, endangering Melody. Reluctantly, Cody agrees to go with the Creator on the terms that The Baggins would not be allowed to live and that the gate between the two universes would be closed forever. The Creator accepts and takes Cody to Kyoto. Adam walks through the house at night to find Dee still waiting for the Creator. He decides he must talk with her, learning that her desire to wait for the Creator to return goes back to her abandonment by her magic teacher. Adam realizes that it was the same reason she had been so desperate to find Adam in Kyoto. The two talk about their own issues and recognize where they both made mistakes. Dee uses her magic to show Adam an important memory where she first met her master and got her nickname from him, explaining how important the man was to her and that she had gone into the Creator's service in exhange for being given his location. The Creator and Cody return soon after, much to Dee's relief. The next day, the Creator gathers everyone and tries to convince them that an immediate attack is necessary. Adam intends to wait for the deadline of the duel, and one by one all of the others agree with him. Since Adam and Cody need to prepare themselves, Ayumi offers to take the others for a tour of the city. Cody takes Adam to Honen-in temple to sit and clear their heads to prepare themselves mentally for the challenge ahead, sharing his concerns that he might not be able to stop The Baggins. Later, Adam confronts the Creator about Dee's master, questioning why he is witholding such important information from her. The Creator confesses that her master is dead and he has been lying to Dee to keep from disappointing her. Adam is furious, but now finds himself unable to tell Dee himself. With just a day left before the duel, tensions are high among the group. Cody snaps at Ayumi when she asks him about his past in the previous war, and Adam secludes himself as he keeps trying to find some mental peace. Dee presents him with a bracelet that carries the symbol of serenity on it to help keep him calm, but Adam still feels like he is unable to fulfill his lofty task. Dee comforts him and reminds him of how much he's grown in the past month and how she's come to like the man he is now, allowing Adam to find the strength he needed. Later, Cody speaks with Ayumi about his experiences in the war, including him being forced to kill his brother. He hopes to clear things between the two of them in case he is killed. During the night, the doppelganger and The Baggins talk strategy, but The Baggins suggests that despite the advantages he believes he has, the doppelganger will still not be able to stop Adam. As the day of the duel arrives, Adam once again dreams of his confrontation with Seb Ommati. He sleeps late, and after minimal preparation and a group photograph taken by Ayumi, all of them but Ayumi depart for Nijo Castle where the fight will take place. Once there, Dee disguises the entrance with magic so that no one will see them enter. Once inside the grounds, they encounter Thomas Abernathy, who is willing to let Adam pass alone so that he doesn't have to fight. The group forces an encounter which results in Abernathy using a relic to conjur golden soldiers called Dogu to fight for him. As the soldiers are destroyed, Abernathy calls more using the relic until Dee is able to disable him and destroy the relic. The Baggins appears and kills Abernathy, letting all but the Creator and Cody to pass. Cody allows the others to go ahead, since he came to fight The Baggins. Inside the castle, Gien attacks the group and reveals himself to be the son of Wilhelm Gien, a technology magnate from Khanka whom Adam killed. Mathias offers to deal with Gien while Adam and Dee move ahead to face the doppelganger, and while Gien opposes this he is drawn into a fight with Mathias. Now that he has seen the error of his ways, Mathias is thankful not to have become as consumed with petty vengeance as Gien and manages to mortally wound him before being disabled. Outside the castle, The Baggins easily defeats Cody. The beating by his old nemesis brings out a demented side of Cody that manifests itself as the spirit of his dead brother. He continues to attack The Baggins but is beaten down again. Before he can be killed, the Creator releases the seal on his powers and locks himself and The Baggins in a pocket dimension. The Baggins is unfazed by the Creator's power, declaring that even if he is destroyed he will oppose the Creator's false divinity. After a collosal battle, The Baggins is defeated and near death. The Creator declares victory, but The Baggins shows that he had still managed to wound the Creator's face and caused him to bleed, something the deity should not have been able to do. Master M arrives at the fight in time to stop the Creator from acting out in anger, calling on him to give Adam the help he needs. Master M stays with The Baggins and Cody, and The Baggins learns that Master M is Cody's father. In the last room of the castle, Adam and Dee discover the doppelganger, now a frightening shell of his former self after allowing his rage to build up inside him. He fights with Adam, revealing that he knew about the elemental powers of Magid and uses them against him. The battle escalates and forces the two outside into the garden as a snowstorm rages. The Creator arrives and watches with Dee as the doppelganger overpowers Adam. Before he can be killed, The Baggins disrupts the doppelganger and gives Adam a chance to recover himself. With new determination, Adam fights on as his other half loses control of himself and becomes animalistic. Adam is able to outwit the doppelganger and delivers a fatal blow to him. As he thinks the battle is over, the doppelganger lashes out at him and begins to tear into him with his bare hands. In the height of his fury, the doppenganger suffers from a brain hemmorhage, tearing out his left eye to relieve the pain. His wounds become too much for him and he finally dies, while Adam lies in the snow and loses consciousness. Adam wakes the next day, Christmas Day, in Ayumi's house. Dee explains that she helped to heal him and brought him with the others home. The Baggins is said to have returned to Magid ahead of the others at the Creator's behest, having had his seal restored. Although still weak, Adam joins the others for a party that Ayumi had planned. Adam speaks with Cody, who is there with Master M and planning to return to Seattle soon. Cody warns Adam that he doesn't expect the Creator to learn from his mistakes and watch after him. Master M warns the Creator of Adam's growing power and advises the same. Elsewhere in Kyoto, Mr. White is picked up by a helicoptor and taken out of the city. He explains to his associate that he had planned on Adam and his other half to fight to the death and the entire operation was a ruse just to draw them together. He then calls for the testing of something he calls the Mammoth in order to deal with the Prime Minister, who he still deemed a loose end. The next day Cody and Master M return home. Mathias meets with Adam outside Ayumi's house and says he will return to Leapador to take the throne, and the two plan to become good kings for their people. Along with the Creator, Dee, and Mathias, Adam leaves Ayumi's house bound for Magid. Shortly after, Ayumi learns of a devastating earthquake and tsunami striking countries all around the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, where her brother and Japan's Prime Minister had been staying. In Magid, Adam resumes the throne, and at the Creator's prompting, Dee stays with him to make sure he settles back into life as a king and to keep him happy. Adam knows the real reason for this is to get out of telling her the truth about her master (and also to keep an eye of Adam, though he does not know this), but accepts because he has come to enjoy Dee's company. After the events of the past month, both are happy to be back in a place where they can find a moment of stability. Main Characters *Adam Evans — A being who was created from the Creator's seperated anger that eventually grew to develop a conscience. He is the former commander of the Khazaki and the current King of Magid. His decision to remove his excess anger just as the Creator had is the starting point of the novel's conflict. *Diatyallah "Dee" Gatti — An apprentice Astrusian mage and aide to the Creator. She was tasked with helping Adam prepare for his ritual, and although they had difficulties at first she grows close to Adam as the story progresses. *The Angry Alter Ego/The Doppleganger — The manifestation of Adam's released anger, set free by an unknown individual. He proves to be unpredictable and dangerous, and desires to destroy Adam for casting him aside. He sees himself as the source of Adam's power and deems Adam unworthy of existing without him. *The Creator Most High — Master of the Other Universe. He organizes the rescue mission to Kyoto to bring Adam back home safely. *Mathias Silvos — The crown prince of Leapador who lives his life as a bounty hunter avenging those who have been wronged by the wicked. He appears to join the Creator's group for a reward, but his true intent is to assassinate Adam. He sees the error of his ways in Kyoto and reforms himself. *New Baggins — The kinder side of the Baggins entity who has control of his body during the day. He joins the Creator to appease the deity, as he feels he must be eternally penitent for his past crimes. *The Baggins — The darker side of the Baggins entity who has control of his body during the night. While he has no desire for conquest, he is intent on getting justice for his imprisonment from the Creator, whom he sees as a false idol and a great deceiver. *Ayumi Hiwatari — A resident of Kyoto who has some connection with the Creator from the past. She welcomes the Creator's group into her home and supports them while acting as an outside voice of reason. *Cody Moon — The hero of the War of the Baggins who is dragged into the Kyoto ordeal by the Creator by thinly veiled threats. He is bitter in regards to fighting and seeks to find a life of peace with his fiancee, Melody. His experiences in the war have proven to have had a negative psychological impact on him. The Black Dragon Team The Black Dragon Team are the agents of Oracle sent to Japan with Adam's doppelganger under the pretenses of carrying out an assasination attempt on the Prime Minister. Each member of the team is meant to embody in one way one of the seven deadly sins. *The Angry Alter Ego: Wrath — Being the embodiment of anger and hatred itself, his characterization as the sin of wrath is most fitting. *Sgt. Jeffery Rogers: Greed — Rogers enjoys hunting men like sport and can't get enough bloodshed. He isn't greedy in regards to money but in having more victims to kill. *Osami Hyogo: Gluttony — A former sumo wrestler, Hyogo's large size is maintained by an excessive diet that also occupies his attention more often than not. *Souji Okita: Envy — Having lived a broken life as a child, Okita secretly longs for loving friends rather than the cold relationship he maintains with his master, Mr. White. *Viktor Serbanescu: Lust — The least obvious, Serbanescu lusts for power, but his appearance in the novel is too short lived to express this fully. However, the mental torture he undergoes is similar to the fate of those guilty of being lustful in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy . *Thomas Abernathy: Sloth — Abernathy spends most of his time sitting around doing nothing except polishing his magical relic. Even in combat, he calls upon minions to fight for him. *Friedrich Gien: Pride — Gien, not originally a part of the team, comes on the mission to help Mr. White target Adam Evans. Adam killed Gien's father and Gien intends to avenge him and restore the pride of his family.